The Radio Answered Me!: A Story of Hope (36/60)

Sep 7, 2014

Listeners are at the heart of everything we do, and we simply can’t get enough of their feedback – who they are, what kind of impact TWR programming is having on them, how God is working in their lives. For 2014 we have assembled 60 compelling, representative responses into a special booklet and will feature one response online each week in celebration of our 60th anniversary.

Language: English

Country: South Africa

She cried out to Jesus, and the Lord spoke to her over the airwaves.

Judy was born into a household of another major religion in Durban, a South African city with a large Indian population.

“As I grew up, I diligently followed a life patterned by what my parents had taught me and had practiced themselves. My parents taught me to be respectful to everyone and to follow all the religious rituals. I learned that we needed to do penance to help pay for our sins and to win merit or favor with god. As a teenager, I often lay awake at night terribly afraid. I tried hard to be a good person, but all that I said and did still troubled my conscience daily as I was never sure if “good” was “good enough.”

She worked hard at being a faithful follower of the other religion and was furious when her husband, also a devout follower of that faith, converted to Christianity after reading a forgotten Bible and being influenced by his sister-in-law.

“I asked aloud, ‘Jesus, who are you? Why have you ruined my life like this? You have taken a perfectly happy life and destroyed it. How can I believe and worship you when I do not even know you? If you want me to believe in you, then you must reveal yourself to me. Only then would I believe.”

Unbeknown to Judy, her husband, Marlon, before leaving or work that day had tuned the radio to a station that often aired programs distributed by TWR. Just when Judy challenged Jesus in her heart and mind, Chuck Swindoll started to preach.

“Now at the instant I had asked the Lord Jesus to reveal himself to me, I heard a loud voice coming from the radio saying, ‘WHO ARE YOU FOR GOD TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO YOU? YOU ARE MAN ON EARTH, AND HE IS GOD IN HEAVEN!’ He said it again loudly and then went on to say, ‘If you want to believe in Him, you must believe by faith that he died on the cross for your sins and that he rose on the third day to give you eternal life.’”

It was the first time Judy had ever heard the Gospel, but she was certain that this promise of forgiveness of sins and of eternal life was the answer to her fears.

“Immediately I fell prostrate before the Lord and started to confess my sin. I told the Lord everything that I had ever done wrong in my life. I wanted a new beginning and to be cleansed from my old way of life. I realized that even though I had tried so hard to be good, I could never do anything that could make me acceptable to this holy God.”

That day Judy felt a peace in her heart beyond understanding. It has been more than 10 years now.

“He has changed my heart, and his Word leads and guides me through life. I find all my answers to the questions of life in the Word of God. We serve a God who knows our hearts, and in that time of need, God knew my heart and my need better than I did. He gave me something more important than the love of man and family – the love of God and an eternal hope.”

You can also order these stories as a free gift booklet delivered to your home. To request your copy, sign up here. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee delivery outside of the continental U.S. at this time, but stay tuned for a free digital download as well.